Ambitious Everton gaining momentum on field, in boardroom

England soccer star Wayne Rooney, right, holds an Everton shirt with his new manager Ronald Koeman during the press conference at Goodison Park, Liverpool, England Monday July 10, 2017. Rooney returned to his original club Everton from Manchester United. (Nigel French/PA via AP)(Photo: The Associated Press)

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Wayne Rooney’s sentimental return to Everton after 13 years away fits the image of a club often criticized for living in the past amid the fast-evolving world of English soccer.

The past 18 months have shown, however, that something exciting is brewing in the blue half of Merseyside: A newfound ambition and a determination to make up for lost time after falling behind the Premier League’s elite.

There’s a new 300-million-pound ($385-million) stadium on the horizon on the Mersey waterfront, replacing the atmospheric but cramped Goodison Park. There’s a wealthy majority shareholder in place in Farhad Moshiri, an Iranian-British businessman who sold his share in Arsenal to get a stake in Everton in early 2016.